


all’s well that ends well (to end up with you)

by laserquests



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Birthday, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, tsukishima kei you are so beautiful you deserve 2 boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26689714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laserquests/pseuds/laserquests
Summary: At 18, seeing Shouyou’s excited grin and Tobio’s bashful smirk was enough for Kei to know what he wanted to wish for. At 26, he figures it’s no different this time around. He closes his eyes and blows the candle.—or, Kageyama and Hinata nearly miss Tsukishima’s birthday again, but their surprise might just be enough to make up for it.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 8
Kudos: 187





	all’s well that ends well (to end up with you)

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday, tsukki! you deserve all the love in the world. ♡
> 
> ([title credit](https://open.spotify.com/track/1dGr1c8CrMLDpV6mPbImSI?si=uvpZkTWGStyvuGCWxIp_mw))

Kei has seen it coming, is the thing; his boyfriends had informed him about it a couple of months ago. How could he forget the way Shouyou got teary-eyed halfway through his words, or the way Tobio tried to pick up where he left off, only for the slight quiver in his voice to give away how close to tears he also was?

On that fortunate afternoon, Shouyou and Tobio’s respective coaches had called them up to announce that they’d been selected for a month-long international training camp in Rome, but the catch was it would end a day after Kei’s birthday. At first they wanted to opt out, but their coaches didn’t want to hear the end of it and hung up. Even Kei himself didn’t want to hear the end of it, of them passing up a prestigious offer just because of _him,_ of all things,but seeing his boyfriends getting so upset over such a trivial thing almost made him emotional too.

“It’s just a birthday,” he reassured them. Kei tried for a smile, directing it at Shouyou. “We’ll always have next year.” 

“But we want to spend your special day with _you,"_ Shouyou argued through his hiccups. Tobio quietly rubbed him on the back. “Tobi and I are always away, and just when I thought we’d finally get the time off to be _together—_ ”

“We just don’t want you to be alone again on your birthday, Kei,” Tobio added when Shouyou continued crying, burrowing his head on his shoulder. Kei knows how much Tobio loathes it when Shouyou makes a mess on his clothes, but at that time, he was totally unfazed. It was _that_ serious to him. “We made a promise to you last year.”

“You had Olympics training last year, love. That’s an absolute non-negotiable.”

“But this is just a training camp—” 

“That would be greatly beneficial to the national team, as you two would also be key players again for the World Cup next year. There’s no way in hell I’ll let you skip it,” Kei asserted, wanting to have the last say on this matter. To him, in the grand scheme of things, missing a birthday is but a tiny speck, after all.

Ever since they began dating in their second year of high school, Kei has been perfectly aware that volleyball comes first before anything else in their relationship. It’s his boyfriends’ lifelong passion, which eventually turned into their careers, and Kei wasn’t an idiot to regard himself as more important than the one thing that brought them together all those years ago. He knew his place and accepted it willingly; it was just how it is. Small consequences like this were inevitable.

And so, a month later, he accompanied Tobio and Shouyou to the airport and bid them farewell, wiping silent tears away as he watched the plane disappear to the horizon.

He’s seen it coming, is the thing, so he should be the one who’s most patient with the circumstances, especially when there’s nothing he can do. 

In fact, the very last thing he _should_ do is to sulk about it. Tsukishima Kei does _not_ sulk.

“You’re definitely sulking, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says, breaking his trance. Kei realizes he’s already missed half of the film they’re watching after he zoned out. He groans.

“Did I say that out loud? The sulking part?” 

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi replies as he munches on popcorn, his eyes glued to the TV. 

“Did I say anything else?” 

“Nope, but it’s not like you had to. I already know what you’re thinking.” 

Kei groans again. Frustrated, he slouches all the way to the edge of the sofa and plants his head on the back rest.

“I know you know this, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi starts a few moments later, his mouth full. “But I wanna remind you that you can allow yourself to be selfish once in a while.”

Huh. “It’s just a fucking birthday,” he huffs.

“You keep telling yourself that, but honestly, how _do_ you feel about it?” Yamaguchi’s eyes land on him, then, ever so striking and clear. He sighs.

“Okay, _fine,_ I’m a little sad about it.”

“Just a little?” Yamaguchi teases, but it falls flat on Kei. 

“I mean, I knew this was coming even from miles away, didn’t I? That volleyball would always be wedged right in the middle of our relationship,” he mutters as he plays with a loose thread on his — or is it Tobio’s? — sweater. “And I still chose to pursue this with them, despite that. So, all things considered, it really _is_ just a normal day. Why should I whine about it?” 

Yamaguchi only rolls his eyes at him in reply, which baffles Kei. They’re leagues away from high school indeed. “In case you forgot, they were willing to give it up for _you,_ you dumbass.”

“ _Hey,_ ” Kei starts to protest, but Yamaguchi cuts him off.

“They’re not just, like, athletes 24/7, you know? They’re humans too — your boyfriends, even. You of all people know best that they’re human, that they have a life outside the sport. And they want to share that life with _you,_ because, surprise, they love you more than anything _._ Now stop being a damn martyr and let yourself be sad at least this once, for hell’s sake.”

Kei has to look away to hide his rising blush from Yamaguchi, feeling the latter’s eyes bore through him as the minutes pass. Yet, as always, he chooses to deflect and retort. 

“I thought you were supposed to cheer me up, Tadashi-kun? Why would anyone want their best friend to be sad?” 

“Oh, piss off. I’m just trying to knock some sense in that dense head of yours,” Yamaguchi laughs, shoving Kei playfully. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Hitoka and I can spend the entire day with you. Both of us don’t have work that day, so we’ll just come over! Or, better yet, maybe we can plan on something? There’s still a week left to think about it, anyway.” 

“You truly don’t have to, but…” Kei smiles, deviously so. “Go ahead. Who am I to say no to a free birthday cake?”

At that, Yamaguchi cackles. “Oh _God,_ you cheeky shit — why am I even friends with you?” 

Kei laughs along with him, feeling the tight ball in his chest slowly unfurling.

Yamaguchi stays over for a few more hours until Yachi calls him later in the evening. When he bids him goodbye, Kei plops down again on the sofa and checks his phone. 

There aren’t new messages yet, and doing some quick maths informs him that it’s still early afternoon on the other side of the globe. That means his boyfriends are still in practice, even though it’s a Saturday. 

After several minutes, he stops beating himself up and finally sends a text to them. He even tacks on a little _‘miss you. :(’_ in the end, his pride be damned. 

Once it’s sent, he exits the app and stares at his wallpaper: a series of snapshots back when the three of them squeezed into a small photo booth in the mall. That day, Shouyou had been too eager for either Kei or Tobio to deny him, so they gave it a shot. In the end, only one picture was printed clear enough, and it was the one where Tobio and Shouyou kissed Kei on each cheek, while his eyes were crinkled in laughter, overjoyed.

Kei smiles softly at the memory, vaguely recalling the numerous other times his boyfriends made his heart swell in sheer happiness and burst at the seams.

That train of thought further nudges him to believing that perhaps Tobio and Shouyou would actually like to spend the rest of their lives with him, beyond volleyball and beyond everything else. At least, for now, Kei is sure he himself would be willing to do so in a heartbeat. 

* * *

When Kei’s 26th birthday arrives, it finds him getting lost in the heart of Tokyo. 

“Where the _hell_ are you, Tadashi? Are you sure you and Yachi gave the right address?” Kei nearly shouts at the phone, growing more exasperated by the minute. Yamaguchi had told him 15 minutes ago that they’ll meet outside the restaurant, but Kei was too busy with last-minute work duties to double-check the address. And now, here he is.

He whips his head around the dense crowd on the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of his best friend’s unmissable shock of hair. When he doesn’t, he proceeds to stare blankly at the fancy restaurant in front of him, feeling completely out of place and underdressed.

“Yes, we’re just inside,” Yamaguchi replies, and even has the gall to giggle. If he were only at Kei’s reach, he would’ve smacked him right on the forehead. “Are you still outside? Why don’t you come in?” 

“This… this doesn’t look like something I can afford,” Kei admits, his brows furrowed. “I’m scared I won’t get out of this alive. You know that when I told you to choose anywhere, I didn’t _literally_ mean anywhere, right?” 

Yamaguchi downright cackles. “Stop worrying, okay? Yachi and I got you covered. You won’t lose a single yen here, I promise you.” 

When Kei opens his mouth to speak, Yamaguchi beats him to it. “And, Kei, you are definitely not underdressed. You’re wearing that posh professor outfit of yours today, I just know it.” 

True enough, Kei _is_ wearing what Yamaguchi thought. His face warms up a tad. “Shut up, Yamaguchi.” 

“I’m not sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi prods. “Now, go inside and tell them your name. They’ll lead you to our booth.” 

“Okay. Don’t you dare hang up,” Kei threatens him. 

“Yes, Tsukki. I’ll be here,” Yamaguchi replies, barely containing the laughter in his voice. Kei narrows his eyes at the fancy velvet wallpaper. Something must be up.

Luckily, the hostess seems kind enough to quell Kei’s nervousness, and he composes himself as he walks towards the reserved booth. His colorful vocabulary sits at the edge of his tongue, ready to lash out at his supposed best friend (not on Yachi, of course) for screwing him over. 

However, when the hostess opens the booth, the lights are off and there’s no one there.

He gives her a quick thanks as she turns to leave before bringing his phone back up to his ear. 

“Yamaguchi, where the _fuck—”_

“Enjoy, Tsukki! And happy birthday! You deserve this!” Yamaguchi says in one breath before hanging up the call.

Kei hasn’t even processed yet what Yamaguchi had said before a small, warm body crashes against him in a tight hug. And then, the lights come on. 

_“Happy birthday, Kei! We missed you so, so much,”_ the voice below his chin shouts, and if Kei hadn’t recognized it — or registered it as one of the loves of his damn life — he would’ve caused bodily harm right then and there. 

Shouyou stops nuzzling at his chest and looks up at him, his eyes twinkling brightly against the fluorescents. Kei missed him so much that he physically feels his chest cave in. 

“Shou, love, I— why are you—” 

“Happy birthday, Kei,” another voice greets in front of him, and when he snaps his head up, the first thing he sees is blue. Tobio flashes him a soft smile.

“King— Tobio, I— what—” 

“Our training ended earlier than expected yesterday, so our team flew back home as soon as we could,” Tobio explains, his grin unwavering. Shouyou wears a matching one, too, and refuses to remove his arms around Kei’s waist. 

“We got Tadashi and Yachi-san’s help,” Shouyou exclaims. “We told them that we’re coming home earlier, and they arranged the reservations for us!” 

“We also meant for it to be a surprise, so we decided not to call you yesterday,” Tobio adds hesitantly, scratching his head. Kei can’t believe how much he’s missed seeing him pout in person. “But it ended up that you were too busy anyway, as you texted us, and so… that’s kinda how it worked out.” 

“But we’re here now! Just in time for your birthday! And enough for us to dress up nicely, too!” 

Only then does Kei notice that they’re indeed wearing their semi-formal suits, and they’re even the ones Kei considers as his favorites. 

He can only gape at them, at a loss for words. 

“Kei? You alright?” Tobio asks him as he walks closer, wrapping the two of them in an embrace. “We’re really so sorry—” 

Kei doesn’t let him finish that thought and kisses him, swallowing down the rest of his apology. Not wasting a breath, he leans down and captures Shouyou’s lips right after, much to the surprise of his boyfriends. 

When they separate, his vision begins to mist over. “I missed you both so fucking much.” 

Both Tobio and Shouyou coo at him before they envelope him in a tight hug once more. As they do so, they don’t point out how Kei is crying, albeit all too quietly, against the top of Shouyou’s head. 

“Did you really think we’d miss your birthday again?” Tobio teases Kei once they’ve settled on the table. Their early arrival definitely wasn’t planned out, and Kei thanks his lucky stars all the more for it.

“I told you, it’s just a damn birthday. It would’ve been okay,” Kei replies after blowing his nose on a tissue. 

Shouyou giggles at him and catches his hand in a reassuring squeeze. Meanwhile, Kei’s other hand runs its thumb against Tobio’s, and he thinks that the sight of them at any other day would’ve sent Kei in an infatuated, cackling frenzy. So much for the three of them not wanting to let go of each other just yet.

“I don’t think that’s what Tadashi told us,” Shouyou hums while making a face. Kei whacks him on the forehead. 

“Shut up, Shou. You know that idiot always lies.” 

“So did he also lie when he told us how sad you were every time you guys hung out?” Tobio asks, and he straight-on pouts at Kei with puppy dog eyes. He regrets letting him learn that a long time ago. 

“I take it back; you two are just ganging up to bully me,” Kei huffs, playing along despite the fluttering in his chest. “I wanna go back to the peace and quiet of the apartment.” 

“ _No,_ don’t go,” Shouyou whines, and Kei thanks the gods again that they’re in a private booth when his boyfriend suddenly latches onto his lap without hesitation. Tobio snorts at them, but he eventually reaches out and kisses them both on the cheek.

After a few moments, they finally get around to ordering actual food — _“Kei, love, it’s fine. Tobi and I got the bill.” “Hey, dumbass, I thought you said it was all yours!”_ — and, in the middle of enjoying the meal, Kei relishes on the fact that it’s their first dinner together after one full month of being apart.

As usual, Shouyou takes over the talking, only giving Tobio some leeway here and there, while Kei listens on, already content in hearing the cadence of his boyfriends’ voices and laughing at their team’s antics. He’d like to believe that, despite all the new stories and new food, it’s almost like they’re just back at home, and Tobio and Shouyou never left. 

He realizes he can’t stop smiling — not like his boyfriends are any better than him.

For dessert, Tobio follows their tradition and calls for slices of strawberry shortcake. Shouyou has also come prepared with a candle and a lighter. 

“Happy birthday, dear Kei, happy birthday to you… please-don’t-tell-them-I-have-a-lighter-I-don’t-think-it’s-allowed,” Shouyou sing-songs as he lights the candle, making Kei snort. 

“You two are idiots. Which makes me an idiot for being in love with you, I guess.” 

“Just blow the candle and make a wish,” Tobio laughs, his cheeks blooming to a bright pink.

Kei gives both of them a good look, and it immediately feels like deja vu: a long time ago, when they were still awkward, inept teenagers, Tobio and Shouyou brought a whole strawberry shortcake to his bedroom back in Miyagi, deciding to celebrate Kei’s birthday a day earlier so the Tsukishima residence was blessedly empty. They even dimmed the lights for effect, as Shouyou insisted, and they sat around the bedroom floor, waiting for Kei to blow the candles and make a wish.

“But did you make this yourselves? Am I gonna get poisoned for this?” Kei had sneered. Tobio glared hard at him in return. If Kei didn’t know any better, he would never have thought that they were already officially dating.

“Meany-shima!” Shouyou yelled, making Kei wince. “Tobi and I saved up for that, you know! And we even got it from that bakeshop you loved!”

“Oh,” Kei replies, utterly caught by surprised. “Um. Thank you. You didn’t, uh, you didn’t have to.” 

At 18, seeing Shouyou’s excited grin and Tobio’s bashful smirk was enough for Kei to know what he wanted to wish for. At 26, he figures it’s no different this time around. He closes his eyes and blows the candle.

Shouyou cheers beside him, moving to hug him from the back, and Tobio wraps his arms around his waist. 

“We love you so much, Kei,” he mumbles against his neck. “Thank you for letting us stay this long.” 

“I love you, Kei!” Shouyou tells him over his shoulder, peppering kissed on his face. Kei giggles. 

“You two are overly clingy today, huh?” 

“Is it bad?” Tobio asks before he moves away. “We _did_ miss you as much as you missed us. We don’t want you to forget that.” 

As a lump forms on Kei’s throat, both Tobio and Shouyou proceed to kneel down in front of him, each on one knee. At Shouyou’s knowing grin, Kei gets awfully confused.

“Oi, dumbass, that’s the wrong knee,” Tobio tells Shouyou. 

“Oop, sorry. My bad.”

“O-okay, don’t get me wrong: I’m all into semi-public birthday sex, but… isn’t this a little weird?” Kei stutters out loud, suddenly attempting to divert out of sheer panic and anticipation.

He’s not an idiot, but he also doesn’t want to assume that the very thought forming at the back of his head is really what _this_ means. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up _too_ high—

“You’re such a kinky shit,” Shouyou giggles lowly. “But no, that’s not it.” 

Kei then notices Tobio’s hiding both of his hands behind his back. He thinks better of it and decides to wait for them to talk, as the hammering in his chest gets louder in the tense quiet of the booth. 

“So, um,” Tobio starts, equally as nervous as Kei is. “We did just say that we love you, and… uh. We want to make sure that you know how serious we are about this.” 

Taking pity at his boyfriend’s stumbling, Shouyou rolls his eyes at him and continues, meeting Kei’s eyes confidently. “We know that this… different setup we have for our relationship has made you think time and again if Tobio and I truly wanted to keep moving forward with you, and that if we can still stay together in spite of our different careers stretching out in front of us.

“It’s not like we’re gonna be stopping any time soon in volleyball, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t serious about this too. Tobi and I, um, have talked about this so many times in our practices together, and talking to Yamaguchi recently also made us decide that now’s the right time for it.” 

After his spiel, Shouyou not-so-discreetly elbows Tobio, and it’s ridiculous, is the thing, but Kei’s afraid to do anything else, lest he sobs loudly, ruining the moment forever.

When Tobio extends his arms, Kei is met with a small velvet box, and as Tobio opens it, it holds three identical rings decorated with gold, amber, and sapphire gems. Kei’s breath catches on his throat. 

“So, um,” Shouyou says, his voice breaking a little. “Legally, we can’t get married yet, but at least for ourselves, we want to make it official. 

“We’d like to have you, Tsukishima Kei, as part of our lives for years to come, whether it be in missed birthdays, in delayed flights, in Sundays that pass by too quickly, or even in winning gold in the next Olympics. We can’t imagine a life without you, with both the good and the bad — and we hope you’d also have us in yours as well.” 

Kei barely hides his sobs behind his hand when he nods frantically, not trusting his own voice to give his words justice. Both of his boyfriends have started crying as well, but Tobio’s calm enough to slip the ring on his left hand, and he even lifts it to his lips and presses oh so gently. Then, he turns to his right to put on the other ring on Shouyou’s finger, and he kisses him soundly on the mouth. 

Shouyou hands the box to Kei, and only then does it occur to him how momentous and sacred this is, the three of them exchanging rings in a quiet booth at some nook in Tokyo — in such a small space, Kei feels like he’s got the whole world in his hands. 

He holds Tobio’s hand against his, slipping on the ring as the gems glint beautifully under the lights, and he cups Tobio’s face before soft lips meet him halfway. Afterwards, he reaches for Shouyou and kisses him sweetly. Kei can’t stop smiling, albeit shakily, against his boyfriend’s lips. 

As if he can’t get enough, Kei pulls them in for yet another hug, sniffling as the two of them cling just as hard onto him. 

“We’re such a silly, crying mess,” Kei remarks, annoyed at how his nose is getting more stuffy. Tobio giggles. 

“At least Shou and I got to make you ugly-cry again on your birthday.”

“ _Hey,_ ” Kei protests. “Not my fault that you two were born ugly criers.” 

“So rude, Meany-shima!” Shouyou shouts, then chuckles against his neck. 

When he lifts his head, it’s with a soft smile Kei has seen many times over, and he’d love to keep witnessing it for the rest of his life, now that he has the chance. 

“I love you, Kei. I love you, Tobio.” 

“I love you both, too,” Tobio replies, settling on Kei’s lap and resting his head on his shoulder. 

“I love you, Shouyou. I love you, Tobio,” Kei says, as easy as breathing, and he smiles a little more brightly.

He’d love to keep saying that tirelessly for the rest of his life, too.

**Author's Note:**

> (did i just completely ignore chapter 402’s ending [among other things] to make my ot3 work out in the end? maybe so.)
> 
> thanks for reading! comments, especially constructive ones, are very much appreciated.


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